Pellet smokers are great for those who love adding a rich and smoky flavor to meats, veggies and other dishes that they smoke. Unlike commercial smokers that require lots of real hardwood, pellet smokers use smaller pellets that are roughly the size of wood chips. Some companies also make pellet smokers that use larger pieces of compressed wood.

Some of the things you need to consider when shopping for a wood pellet smoker is the total amount of square inches found inside, which tells you the types of dishes you can smoke, and the type of shelving used inside. The best shelves will have a nonstick coating that keeps meats and vegetables from sticking to the metal. You may want to look for one that comes with adjustable shelves too, which will let you rearrange the shelves and even remove some shelves to accommodate for larger cuts of meat.

Though we picked the best pellet smoker in our eyes, we also ranked some other models on our list of the top 18 wood pellet smokers. This lets you find out what features come on the top model, what features come on other models and how all those smokers compare to each other.

Top 18 Pellet Smokers

The best wood pellet smoker that we found is this Memphis Grills Elite 39-Inch Pellet Grill that looks more like a traditional grill than it does a smoker, but this grill comes with lots of other features that will help you make all the food needed for a party or special event. Its top feature is an intelligent temperature control that works via Wi-Fi to help you keep an eye on the interior temperature without walking over and looking at the temperature gauge. You can download the Memphis Mobile App to any mobile device to adjust the cook time, smoke time, temperature and other features of the smoker as well as monitor the food inside anytime you step away from the grill.

This grill features double walls that are sealed to keep heat from escaping and to retain the heat and temperature inside, and those walls can also retain the heat on colder days, making this the best smoker for smoking meats in the winter. A food probe lets you monitor and view the temperature of one cut of meat inside the grill, but this probe can also split off to help you keep an eye on several types of meat or different dishes at the same time. It has a temperature range between 180 degrees and 700 degrees Fahrenheit and gives you 844 square inches of interior cooking space.

With a name like Fast Eddy, you should expect this PG1000 Fast Eddy’s Pellet Grill from Cookshack to run at lightning fast speeds, and while it does cook foods quickly, it also functions like a smoker to help you add a smoky flavor to dishes cooked slowly at a lower temperature. One of its top features is that this grill comes with four dedicated cooking areas inside that let you place food directly on the heat and to cook other foods via indirect heat to ensure that each dish cooks through and gets a smoky flavor without burning or overcooking. It uses only 100% food grade wood pellets for cooking and features a warming drawer that you can use for keeping foods warm until serving, but this drawer can also help you with cold smoking.

Insulation around the lid works with the double walls of the grill to lock in the heat during cooking and to make this smoker come up to temperature faster. Stainless-steel cooking grates inside have a nickel coating that keeps food from moving or shifting when placed on top but also prevent food from sticking to the grates. A digital thermostat regulates the temperature and keeps it from dropping or rising, and this smoker also has an ash bucket that collects the ash produced as the wood burns and four wheels on the bottom as well as a large storage shelf.

The 561 square inches of cooking space inside this HomComfort PG36 Large Pellet Grill/Smoker gives you enough space to store multiple rib racks as well as chickens and turkeys, and the coated metal grates inside will keep those foods from sticking too. Though this smoker has a lower temperature range of just 200 to 500 degrees Fahrenheit, that temperature range is large enough for most home smoking jobs, and the temperature range will also come in handy when grilling out with your family. A digital thermostat regulates the cooking temperature and features LED controls to help you more easily select the temperature that you want to use, and you’ll find that is push button start makes it easier to turn on the smoker and get to the temp that you want.

Unlike other smokers that come with a large or small storage shelf on the bottom, this HomComfort smoker features a small shelf right on the side that lets you reach all your supplies without bending over, and this shelf even has four built-in racks for storing tools like a grill brush and spatula. It features a patented design that lets you adjust the amount of air inside the smoker and an attached bucket that collects ash as it falls out of the smoker. The wheels on the bottom of the smoker are small enough to not get in your way but large enough to make moving the smoker a snap.

Many people know the name Traeger because this company is responsible for producing some of the best pellet smokers around, and the first of its smokers to find a place on our list is the TFS60LZAC Select Large Elite Grill, which is the largest one made by the company. It has an impressive 589 square inches of cooking space that you can use for both grilling and smoking, and the grill grates use metal with a porcelain coating that will last longer than solid metal grates will. Designed to help you enjoy more of the wood flavor that you want, this smoker uses both wood pellets and wood chips as well as different flavors of hardwood that pair nicely with various types of meats like seafood or poultry.

In addition to the large cooking space inside, this grill also has storage shelves on other side that let you keep sauces and cooking supplies nearby, and if you need to store lager things like pots and pans, you’ll find that the doors on the front open to reveal plenty of extra storage. This Elite smoker comes with a digital controller on the front that features a knob you can turn to select the cooking temperature, and the digital screen shows you the temperature too. It also features vents that help improve airflow inside the grill and wheels for moving the smoker.

Made from heavy-duty steel, this Pellet Pro Deluxe Stainless 1190 Pellet Grill just might make you feel like a pro or at least encourage you to enter a few smoking contests. Designed for those who take smoking meat seriously, it has 1,190 square inches of interior space, but it also comes with two racks that let you cook foods on both a direct and indirect heat as well as keep foods warm until it’s time to eat. The hopper inside has a large capacity and can store several pounds of wood pellets to ensure that you never need to fill the hopper while smoking, and the manufacturer even includes a bag of real wood pellets that you can use.

With this smoker, you can set the temperature between 160 and 450 degrees Fahrenheit based on what you want to cook, and you’ll love that the PID temperature control lets you make more accurate temperature settings in five degree increments. The included meat probe connects back to that controller and lets you view the internal temperature of the meat, which can help you see when it cooks through and when you can pull it off the heat. It also features a stainless-steel burn pot that can withstand high temperatures, four wheels along the bottom and an open shelf that spans the length of the smoker for storage of cooking supplies and tools.

The Louisiana Grills LG-001000-1680 CS-680 Country Smoker 680 has a powder-coated finish in a deep black color that will never peel off the smoker or crack and a coated metal grate inside that provides you with 680 square inches of interior space for smoking and cooking. A hopper on the side of the grill gives you space for the wood pellets that you want to use and features a design that lets a constant stream of smoke enter the grill for accurate cooking. This box has a digital screen that shows you the temperature and push buttons that you will use to raise and lower the temperature, but the box also has an auto ignition that makes it easier to turn on the smoker.

Thanks to a temperature range of 180 to more than 500 degrees Fahrenheit, this smoker can do more than smoke because it also lets you braise, grill and even roast your favorite foods. Louisiana Grills even claims that you can bake pies and other desserts inside, though you’ll want to remove meats and other savory dishes first to avoid changing the flavors of your desserts. This smoker has two wheeled legs on the bottom, a large storage rack just above the wheels and an ash bucket placed just at the end that collects all the ash as it comes out of the smoker.

In addition to its larger smoker and grill combos, Traeger also offers some smaller options like this Pro Series 34 Grill Bronze, which has more than 800 square inches of space inside and a bronze finish on the outside that won’t crack or peel. The auto start feature is perfect for beginners because it cuts down on the time you spend fighting with the smoker and lets you just click an ignition button to automatically turn on the smoker, and it has an auger with an automatic feeding design that allows the wood pellets to automatically move into the auger, which heats and burns those pellets to create smoke. One end of the smoker has a slanted port that pushes the ash created by the wood out and into a small bucket that you can easily remove from the smoker and empty before filling it again.

This smoker has a sawhorse design that includes two smaller and two larger wheels on the bottom, which make it easier to lift the smoker and more evenly distribute the weight before moving it to a new spot. It comes with a digital thermostat that has an LED read out that appears bright in both lighter and darker conditions and a removable drip pan that catches all the drips inside. You also get two meat probes and an extra rack that you use inside the smoker.

Pellet smoker grills like this Louisiana Grills 60800 Stainless Steel Wood Pellet Grill are great for those who want to save space outside because it comes with all the features necessary to use it as both a smoker or a grill to make dishes that all your family and friends will love, and because it has 800 square inches of cooking surfaces inside, you’ll also have all the space that you need to feed a group. Designed to look and function more like a classic grill, it has a burn system that ensures you do not waste any pellets and that the inside retains the temperature that you want. Made from stainless-steel components that last longer, it also comes with cooking grates coated in a porcelain enamel that keeps food from sticking.

Louisiana Grill includes its patented flame broiler feature, which lets you move food right over the flame to create a nice sear on the outside before moving the food to an area of the smoker that uses indirect heat to slowly cook the food all the way through. An electronic ignition button instantly turns the smoker on, but you can then use the knob near the digital thermostat to adjust the smoker to the right temp. it also comes with a small shelf in a convenient location on one side and double doors that open to give you access to hidden storage under the smoker.

No matter how many people come over your house for dinner, this Louisiana Grills 61100-LG1100 LG 1100 Pellet Grill has you covered because it has cooking grates inside that have more than 1,000 square inches available, and the coating used on those grates make clean up a breeze because meats, veggies and other dishes come away with ease. The ash bucket on this model sits below the cooking area instead of on the side to ensure that all the ash produced falls into the bucket and not inside the smoker. You’ll have more than 700 square inches of cooking space on the grate located right on top of the smoker, but you also get a second grate that adds to your cooking area and lets you cook on indirect heat.

A digital control center on the side of the smoker lets you control all the features of the smoker without lifting the lid, and the box that functions as this durable center even has a digital screen for viewing the temp and buttons that respond to the slightest of touches. With a temp range between 170 and 600 degrees Fahrenheit, this smoker can replace your home kitchen and become the focal point of your outdoor kitchen because it lets you bake, broil, grill and use other cooking methods. It also comes with an exhaust system that automatically vents exhaust outside of the smoker for more even cooking.

Give your outdoor kitchen a boost without going over budget with the YOYO Wood Pellet Grill and Smoker, which comes at an affordable price but lots of features like coated grates inside that prevent foods from sticking and 684 square inches of cooking space. As a 22,000 BTU smoker, this one has a lot of power but comes with an exhaust system designed to help your food cook more evenly without too much smoke settling in that food. An LED screen works with the digital thermostat to show you the exact temperature inside the smoker, and this screen sits directly on the front of the pellet hopper, which holds up to 20 pounds of pellets to help you smoke for hours before you need to fill up the hopper again.

In addition to a grate that sits on the very top of the heat, this pellet smoker has a second rack that sits nearer to the top of the lid and acts like a warming rack to help you take food off the direct heat and still keep it warm. YOYO added extra insulation inside the smoker to help it reach the temp faster, and you can set it up to a maximum temperature of 475 degrees Fahrenheit. It also features an attachment on one side that holds an ash bucket, a small storage shelf on the side of the smoker and extra storage tucked behind double doors on the front.

The same bronze finish found on other Traeger smokers appears on the Traeger Pro Series 22 Wood Pellet Grill, and that finish adds a nice contrast to the other black areas of the smoker and really lets the embossed Traeger logo on the front of the lid stand out. In addition to looking nice, it can also help you make all the dishes that your family loves or make enough food for a party because it has more than 500 square inches of cooking grates inside and an automatic auger system that keeps the pellets at the perfect temperature for creating smoke and ensures that the smoke keeps moving across your food and around the grill. The exhaust system that comes built-in this smoker allows some of that smoke to escape to protect your food.

Though it comes in a smaller size, this pellet smoker has all the features that you love about Traeger models like an ash bucket that keeps the ash from building up inside and a digital screen that shows you the temperature but works with the turning knob to quickly change that temp. A second grill rack comes included and installs easily on the top of the smoker for cooking over indirect heat, and you’ll also get a drip pan and two meat probes. This Pro Series wood smoker can also reach a maximum temperature of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

The YOYO Deluxe BBQ 22K Wood Pellet Grill Smoker is another good pellet smoker from YOYO because it features digital controls that make it easier to set up the smoker, including the temperature and time, and come back later. Once you lift the lid to the smoker, you’ll see that it has 684 square inches across two levels, and while one of those levels sit directly on top of the heat, the other level functions like a warming rack to heat up food or keep food warm and away from the direct heat without overcooking it. This smoker also has a large temperature range that lets you use it in the same way you would your kitchen oven to braise, roast and bake foods as well as grill and smoke dishes.

Its electronic ignition button turns the smoker on and helps it reach the right temperature quickly, and you can use the LED display near this button to both see the temperature you set and to keep an eye on the temperature later on in the cooking process. The hopper attached to the side of the smoker holds a full 20 pounds of the pellets of your choice to help the smoker run for several hours or longer without needed any extra pellets. It also comes with cooking grates coated in porcelain that stop foods from sticking and are also easy to remove and clean.

This Traeger Pro Series Wood Grill has the same look and many of the same features as other Traeger pellet smoker grill and combos do, but it has a smaller size that is perfect for feeding your family instead of a crowd and for storing on your patio or deck without taking up a lot of space. The pellet hopper on the side holds several pounds of pellets and can provide enough heat and smoke for smoking two hours or more on a single fill, and the this hopper automatically heats the pellets as needed to create smoke and ash as well as for moving the smoke into the smoker. Thanks to the ash bucket on the opposite side collects all that ash as it comes out of the smoker to make cleaning easier.

Setting the temperature on this smoker is easy too because it features a digital thermostat as well as a rotary knob that moves to the right to increase the temperature and screen that shows the current temp. Though it lacks any type of storage rack or excess storage, it does come with specially coated grates inside and a patented exhaust system. The combination of larger and smaller wheels on the base of the smoker create a seesaw design that lets you distribute the weight when moving the smoker.

The Broil King 911470 Keg 5000 Barbecue Grill gets its name from the fact that the center or main part of the grill looks like the same kegs that you might purchase for an outdoor party, and while the manufacturer refers to this as a grill, it also works effectively as a smoker. Taking the lid off the top will show you that it has 400 square inches of cooking space, but if you add the included grate, which features durable cast iron, you will still have 280 square inches of cooking space. It also comes with a secondary rack made from the same cast iron that lets you cook food at two different temperatures or on both a direct and indirect heat.

This is the ultimate smoker for those who like tailgating and going to parties away from home because it comes with lots of built-in features and a portable design that you can actually hook up to the back of your vehicle when traveling. Small shelves on either side of the grill are perfect for holding sauces, a cold drink or side dishes, and each shelf has hooks for storing your BBQ tools too. The Keg comes with a wheeled base that you can transform into a more solid base and an ash tray that pulls out from the bottom for emptying.

Another smoker that is great for parties and entertaining away from home is this Louisiana Grills LG-001000-1300 TG-300 Country Smoker, which also goes by the name of The Tailgater because it’s so lightweight and portable that you won’t have any problem tossing it in your car before a trip. Durable metal legs on the bottom not only support the weight of the smoker but the weight of all the food you cook, and it has a temperature gauge right on the lid for checking on the temp as you cook. The Tailgater features an auto start ignition that lets you press one button to turn it on and bring it up to temperature in minimal time.

As a pellet smoker designed for tailgating parties and other events, the Tailgater has a metal grate inside that Louisiana Grills coated with a porcelain material that extends the life of the grate and also reduces the risk of food sticking to the grate too. The 300 square inches of that cooking grate is enough to cook multiple burgers, hot dogs and other smaller dishes as well as rib racks and roasts. It also has a temperature range of 180 degrees up to 500 degrees Fahrenheit for grilling, smoking, baking and cooking foods via all those same cooking methods you would use in your home kitchen.

Depending on where you live, you may find that you don’t have a lot of room for one of the full-size smokers, but even if you live in an apartment with a tiny patio, you probably have more than enough space for the Traeger TFB42LZBO Lil’ Tex Elite Grill, which Traeger designed as a smaller model that includes all the features of its bigger smokers. Those features include a slanted shelf that allows the pellet ash to easily slide out of the smoker and into a small bucket on the side and an exhaust system that prevents the smoke from taking over the natural flavor of your foods. It also has a seesaw design that uses two wheeled legs and two straight legs to help you distribute its weight if you need to move it.

Though some wood pellet smokers require electricity or propane to run, this one runs entirely on natural hardwood pellets and comes with a digital controller and a digital screen. Clear markings on the front of the smoker make it easier to see the temperature that you want to use, and an electronic ignition system lets the smoker come on automatically with one touch. The smaller size of this smoker belies the 418 square inches of cooking space tucked inside as well as the coated cast iron grates.

If you want a smoker that you can also use as a grill and one that doesn’t take a lot of steps to operate, you need this Grilla Grills Silverbac Wood Pellet Grill with Digital Controls, which comes with a set n’ forget digital control system that literally lets you set the time and the temperature, walk away from the smoker and come back hours later to find all perfectly cooked food inside waiting for you. You press just one button to turn on the smoker and use the up and down arrow buttons to adjust the temperature, and its meat probe, which you can insert right inside a cut of meat, has its own button that lets you view the temp of that meat on the digital screen. This probe makes it easy to know when even the thickest cut of meat is cooked through and ready to come off.

A full grate runs the length of the inside of the smoker and gives you the option of cooking over direct or indirect heat, and it also comes with a drip pan that catches both the juices and fats that come off the dishes cooked above. You’ll also like that this smoker comes with two doors on the front that you can open to store supplies, ingredients and tools inside.

The Camp Chef PG24S Pellet Grill and Smoker Deluxe has more than 400 square inches of cooking space across one steel grate and a separate and a warming rack that has more than 140 square inches of space available for keeping dishes warm or cooking foods over an indirect heat. Two of the features that you’ll instantly notice at first glance include an exhaust system that sticks over the top to properly vent the smoker and a hopper on the side. This hopper, which has a knob that you can twist to keep the pellets from falling out, holds up to 18 pounds of wood pellets and has a digital system right on the front for quickly checking on the internal temperature, checking the temperature of meats via the meat probe or setting the temperature.

Camp Chef designed the hopper to include an easy clean out system that lets you remove old pellets and ash from inside the hopper, and you’ll also find a patented ash cleaning system for removing the ash that collects and builds up inside the smoker. It has a total interior height of 32.5 inches that can accommodate larger turkeys and chickens. The smoker also has a temperature setting that ranges from a minimum of 160 degrees up to a maximum of 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Traeger vs. Pit Boss Smokers

Both Traeger and Pit Boss are names that you’ll come across while hunting for a wood pellet smoker for your home, but you should focus more on the models available from Traeger. Pit Boss smokers come with some nice features like temperature controls that let you adjust the smoking temperature and ash buckets that collect the wood as it turns to ash. The main problem is that Pit Boss smokers are much harder to find.

If you decide on a Pit Boss smoker, it will take you some time to find one online and have it shipped to your home, or you’ll need to find a way to bring home one from a local store. These smokers are often hard to move and have four standard legs or just two wheeled legs, which can make moving the smoker to a certain place on your driveway or patio hard.

We highly recommend the smokers from Traeger for a few different reasons but mainly because you’ll find so many different options. You might buy the Lil’ Tex because you want a smoker that you can take to tailgating parties and on camping trips, but Traeger also offers plenty of larger models that are suitable for home use.

Traeger vs. Rec Tec

One advantage that Rec Tec smokers have over Traeger smokers is that Rec Tec outfits its smokers with a Wi-Fi connection that lets you hook up your phone or tablet to the smoker via the internet connection in your home. You can then check in while working on other dishes inside to see when you need to adjust the temperature or when you need to turn the meat. This connection also allows you to check in while running errands or at work.

The finishes found on smokers from both companies are durable and resistant to heat, which lets you know that the finish will never darken, crack or even peel away from the smoker. You’ll also find that both companies make smokers with a temperature gauge on the front that is easy to see and that both offer smokers that are easy to use.

In the same way that we picked Traeger over Pit Boss, we picked Traeger over Rec Tec for the simple reason that the company makes more smokers in a range of sizes that can fit the needs of all smoke lovers. Traeger also offers a dependable warranty on all its smokers and has a great reputation among shoppers.

Best Pellet Smoker

The chances are good that you think of wood pellet smokers as tiny smokers that you can use in your yard or on your patio, but the Memphis Grills Elite 39-Inch Pellet Grill (Check Price on Amazon.com) will completely change your mind about what pellet smokers are. This massive grill, which the manufacturer makes in the United States, features intelligent temperature controls that work via Wi-Fi to let you check on your food and change the temperature from anywhere inside your house or even while you’re at the store picking up some new ingredients. It also features a convection fan that evenly distributes the heat across all food inside.